I am a groupie

The other night we went to the Songwriter’s Rounds at the Commodore Grill in Nashville. We have been going to these over the past 6 months while Craig was working through his nerves about getting up on stage again. He played a lot as a teen and young adult in front of audiences and then mainly with friends. He moved from Prescott AZ to Nashville because of opportunity to be around and play with great musicians.

Thursday night was the first night I heard someone perform at these venues that I was like I HAVE to hear her again – Valierie Ellis-Hawkins (her first name is not misspelled). She is native to Nashville. Her husband Joe Hawkins is also a singer songwriter. His performance was excellent but there was something about Valierie that “spoke” to me. Because of the unusual spelling of her name, I was unable to find her online so I was forced to step outside of my comfort zone and meet her. I spoke with a friend that was with her first as Valierie was speaking to someone else and she told me how to spell her name. I joined Instagram so I could follow her.

To be clear, I have been a groupie for over 20 years for Natalie and for over a year for my man Craig but this is a total stranger. A new experience. I hope to see her again soon in a venue where she plays more than 3 songs.